Search results for "Degenerative Diseases"
showing 10 items of 158 documents
Investigating the use of primary adult subventricular zone neural precursor cells for neuronal replacement therapies
2002
With the relatively recent discovery that neurogenesis persists throughout life in restricted regions of the adult mammalian brain, including those of human beings, there has been great interest in the use of adult-derived neural stem cells for neuronal replacement. There are many great hurdles that must be overcome in order for such replacement strategies to succeed. In this review, we outline some of these hurdles and discuss recent experiments that investigate the potential of using neural precursor cells found in the subventricular zone of the adult brain for brain repair.
640-Slice CT Measurement of Superior Orbital Fissure as Gateway for Light into the Brain: Statistical Evaluation of Area and Distance.
2016
Objective Our aim was to provide normative data concerning superior orbital fissure area (SOFA), ocular skin and the substantia nigra (D-SS) and orbital fissure and the substantia nigra (D-SOF-S) distances by CT scan in adult Caucasian population. Methods The area of the superior orbital fissure (SOF), the distance between the ocular skin and the substantia nigra and the distance between the superior orbital fissure and the substantia nigra using CT and 3D-CT images. Results Normative data stratified for age and gender were obtained. The data here reported show that some degree of variability in SOFA, D-SS and D-SOF-S measurements can be observed healthy Caucasian subjects. Gender stratifie…
proNGF Measurement in Cerebrospinal Fluid Samples of a Large Cohort of Living Patients With Alzheimer's Disease by a New Automated Immunoassay
2021
The discovery of new biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is essential for an accurate diagnosis, to conceive new strategies of treatments, and for monitoring the efficacy of potential disease-modifying therapies in clinical trials. proNGF levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) represent a promising diagnostic biomarker for AD, but its validation was hampered by the absence of a reliable immunoassay. In the literature, proNGF is currently measured in postmortem brain tissue by semiquantitative immunoblot. Here we describe the development and validation of a new method to measure proNGF in the CSF of living patients. This method, based on molecular size separation by capillary electropho…
Focused Ultrasound in Neuroscience. State of the Art and Future Perspectives
2021
Transcranial MR-guided Focused ultrasound (tcMRgFUS) is a surgical procedure that adopts focused ultrasounds beam towards a specific therapeutic target through the intact skull. The convergence of focused ultrasound beams onto the target produces tissue effects through released energy. Regarding neurosurgical applications, tcMRgFUS has been successfully adopted as a non-invasive procedure for ablative purposes such as thalamotomy, pallidotomy, and subthalamotomy for movement disorders. Several studies confirmed the effectiveness of tcMRgFUS in the treatment of several neurological conditions, ranging from motor disorders to psychiatric disorders. Moreover, using low-frequencies tcMRgFUS sys…
7-Nitroindazole protects striatal neurons against MPP+ -induced degeneration.
2006
The neuropathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the selective degeneration of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). In this study, using a microdialysis technique, we investigated whether an inhibitor of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), 7-nitrindazole (7-NI), could protect against DAergic neuronal damage induced by in vivo infusion of 1-methyl-4-phenylpiridinium iodide (MPP+) in freely moving rats. Experiments were performed over 2 days in three groups of rats: (a) nonlesioned, (b) MPP+-lesioned, and (c) 7-NI pretreated MPP+-lesioned rats. On day 1, control rats were perfused with an artificial CSF, while 1 mM MPP+ was infused into t…
Imaging of Substantia Nigra in Parkinson's Disease: A Narrative Review.
2021
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms due to the degeneration of the pars compacta of the substantia nigra (SNc) with dopaminergic denervation of the striatum. Although the diagnosis of PD is principally based on a clinical assessment, great efforts have been expended over the past two decades to evaluate reliable biomarkers for PD. Among these biomarkers, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based biomarkers may play a key role. Conventional MRI sequences are considered by many in the field to have low sensitivity, while advanced pulse sequences and ultra-high-field MRI techniques have brought many advantages, partic…
The Blood–Brain Barrier as a Target in Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment
2014
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most frequent causes of death in the young population. Several clinical trials have unsuccessfully focused on direct neuroprotective therapies. Recently immunotherapeutic strategies shifted into focus of translational research in acute CNS diseases. Cross-talk between activated microglia and blood–brain barrier (BBB) could initiate opening of the BBB and subsequent recruitment of systemic immune cells and mediators into the brain. Stabilization of the BBB after TBI could be a promising strategy to limit neuronal inflammation, secondary brain damage and acute neurodegeneration. This review provides an overview on the pathophysiology of TBI and brain…
The close link between brain vascular pathological conditions and neurodegenerative diseases: Focus on some examples and potential treatments
2022
A close relationship is emerging among the age-related neurodegenerative decline, and the age-related typical alterations, dysfunctions, and related diseases of the cerobro-and/or cardiovascular system, which contributes in a significative manner to the triggering and progressing of neurodegenerative diseases (NeuroDegD). Specifically, macroinfarcts, microinfarcts, micro-hemorrhages (and particularly their number), atherosclerosis, arteriolosclerosis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy have been documented to be significantly associated with the onset of the cognitive impairment. In addition, vascular alterations and dysfunctions resulting in a reduced cerebral blood flow, and anomalies in the …
Antioxidants as treatment for neurodegenerative disorders.
2002
Oxidative stress is a ubiquitously observed hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders. Neuronal cell dysfunction and cell death due to oxidative stress may causally contribute to the pathogenesis of progressive neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, as well as acute syndromes of neurodegeneration, such as ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke. Neuroprotective antioxidants are considered a promising approach to slowing the progression and limiting the extent of neuronal cell loss in these disorders. The clinical evidence demonstrating that antioxidant compounds can act as protective drugs in neurodegenerative disease, however, is still relatively scarce. …
Membrane breakdown in acute and chronic neurodegeneration: focus on choline-containing phospholipids.
2000
Breakdown of cellular membranes is a characteristic feature of neuronal degeneration in acute (stroke) and chronic (senile dementia) neurological disorders. The present review summarizes recent experimental and clinical work which concentrated on changes of choline-containing phospholipids as indicators of neuronal membrane breakdown. Experimental studies identified glutamate release, calcium influx, and activation of cellular phospholipase A2 (PLA2) as important steps initiating membrane breakdown in cultured neurons or brain slices under hypoxic or ischemic conditions. Proton NMR studies have shown an elevation of choline-containing compounds in the brain of Alzheimer patients while neuro…